An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
