An defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of government activities, including transport use to communication practices.
