An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But 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 technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport use to communication practices.
