An defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader defence situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.
