An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
