An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
