An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
