A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.