An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to communication practices.
