A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
