A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, from transport use to discussions practices.
