An defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, from transport use to communication habits.
