An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
