A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of official operations, from transport use to communication habits.
