An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, from transport usage to communication practices.
