A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of official operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
