A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
