A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested 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 present time.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
