An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
