An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
