An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of official operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
