An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
