An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of government activities, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
