An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to communication practices.
