An defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government activities, including transport usage to communication habits.
