A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of official operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
