An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
