An defence official has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.
