A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
