An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, from transport usage to communication practices.
