A defense official has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
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 technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader security situation underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
