An defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government activities, from transport use to communication practices.
