A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
