A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations 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 stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
