A defense official has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including transport use to communication practices.
