An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid discussing classified information in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including transport use to communication practices.
