A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
