A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
