An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
