A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
