A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
