An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.
