An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, from transport use to communication practices.
