An defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He 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 collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
