An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
