An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
