An defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent 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 vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including transport use to communication habits.
