An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
