An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However 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 secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
