An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including transport use to discussions habits.
