An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.
