An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, from transport usage to communication habits.
