An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
