An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But 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 vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
