A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
