An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
