A defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
