Minister Says Ministry of Defence Investigating Security Risk from Vehicles from China, with Personnel Instructed to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
A defense official has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including transport usage to communication practices.
