An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent 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 responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of government activities, from transport usage to communication habits.
