A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. 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 all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
