An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian 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 significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
