A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
