A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
