An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
