A defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
