A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
