A defense official has stated that the MoD is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
