An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However 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 vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
