Minister Confirms MoD Investigating Security Risk from Chinese Cars, as Personnel Told to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
An defence official has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving 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 discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him 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 Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
