A defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
