A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader defence situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
