An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘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 UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
