A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
