An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of official operations, including transport use to communication habits.
