A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including vehicle use to communication practices.
