A defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, from transport use to communication practices.
