A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent 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 to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK 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 bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.