A defense official has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence 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 technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government operations, including transport use to communication practices.
