An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
