A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
