A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows 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 disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of government activities, including transport use to discussions practices.
