An defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
