A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
