An defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government activities, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
