An defense official has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
