A defence official has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader security situation highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
