An defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including transport use to communication habits.
