An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, including transport use to communication practices.
