A defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including transport use to communication practices.
