A defence official has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
