A defense official has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
