A defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
