An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from transport usage to communication practices.
