An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing classified information in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including vehicle use to communication practices.
