An defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.
