A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
