An defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
