An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
