A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to communication practices.
