An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, including transport usage to discussions habits.
