A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
