An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
