An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government activities, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
