A defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, from transport usage to communication practices.
