A defense official has revealed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified information in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader defence environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
