A defence official has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to communication habits.
