A defence official has stated that the MoD is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government activities, including transport usage to communication practices.
