A defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including transport use to communication habits.
