An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader defence situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of government activities, including vehicle use to communication practices.
