An defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including transport usage to communication habits.
