An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, including transport use to discussions practices.
