A defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
