An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
