An defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
