A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, from vehicle use to communication habits.
