A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
