An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
