A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
