A defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader defence situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to discussions practices.
