An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified 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 all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including transport use to discussions habits.
