A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
