A defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
