A defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including transport use to communication practices.
