An defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence environment highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
