An defense official has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
