An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.
