An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But 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 MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
