An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
