An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, from vehicle use to communication habits.
