A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles 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 non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official activities, including transport usage to communication habits.
