A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet 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 driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
