A defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government operations, including transport usage to discussions habits.
