A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting 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 all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
