An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence 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 vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
