An defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government activities, from transport usage to communication practices.
