Minister States MoD Investigating Security Risk from Vehicles from China, as Staff Instructed to Refrain from Secret Talk in Cars.
A defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader security environment highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
