A defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if 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 car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
