An defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government activities, including transport use to communication practices.
