A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
