An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
