A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
