An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including transport use to communication practices.
