A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed 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” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, from transport usage to communication habits.
