A defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
