An defence official has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official activities, from transport use to communication habits.
