An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
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 secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that security is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, from transport usage to communication habits.
