A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
