A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, from transport use to communication practices.
