A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid talking about classified information in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
