A defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
