A defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
