An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.
