A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to communication practices.
