A defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including transport use to discussions habits.
