A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to avoid discussing classified information in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
