A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
