An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, from transport use to communication habits.
