A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified information in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
