A defense official has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, from transport usage to discussions practices.
