An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
