An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
