An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
