A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars 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 not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government activities, from transport use to communication practices.
