An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader security situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, including transport usage to discussions habits.
