A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
