A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
