An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
