A defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including transport usage to communication practices.
