An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
