A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government activities, from transport usage to discussions habits.
