An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader security situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of official activities, including transport use to discussions habits.
