A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence 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, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
