An defense official has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles 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, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of government activities, including vehicle use to communication practices.
