A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When 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 are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
