An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, 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, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader defence environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
