A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
