A defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including transport use to communication habits.
