An defense official has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, from vehicle use to communication habits.
