A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including transport use to communication practices.
