A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
