An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
