A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
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 disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government activities, from vehicle use to communication habits.
