An defense official has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as claims 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 switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
