An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of official activities, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
