An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones 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 staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader security environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from transport usage to communication practices.
