An defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
