A defense official has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
