An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
