A defense official has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
