A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, including transport use to discussions habits.