An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
