A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is 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 presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, from transport usage to communication practices.
