Minister Says Ministry of Defence Looking at Security Risk from Chinese Cars, as Personnel Told to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
An defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
