A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘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 United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
