A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including vehicle use to communication practices.
