A defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to communication practices.
