A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, from transport usage to communication habits.
