An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
