A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader defence environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, from transport usage to communication practices.
