An defense official has stated that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet 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 vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of official activities, including transport use to discussions practices.
