A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader security situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
