An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of government activities, including transport use to discussions habits.
