An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD 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 every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from transport use to discussions habits.
