A defense official has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
