An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
