An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
