A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles 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 car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader defence situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, including transport usage to communication habits.