An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
