A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including transport usage to communication practices.
