An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including transport use to communication practices.
