A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK 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.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government activities, from vehicle use to communication habits.
