An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.
