A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid talking about secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
