A defence official has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader defence environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government operations, from transport use to communication habits.
