A defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government activities, including transport use to communication habits.
