An defense official has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
