An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of official operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
