A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
