An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
