An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to communication habits.
