An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, from transport use to discussions habits.
