An defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
