An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
