An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
