An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official activities, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
