A defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However 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 Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of government activities, including transport use to communication habits.
