A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government operations, from transport usage to communication practices.
