A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones 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 Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
