An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, from transport use to discussions habits.
