A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
