A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, including transport use to communication practices.
