An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official activities, from transport usage to communication practices.
