An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet 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 car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
