A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of government activities, including transport usage to communication practices.
