A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in 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 car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider security environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of official activities, from transport use to discussions habits.
