An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
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 car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
