At the end of July this year British MPs launched an inquiry targeting foreign involvement in the procurement process of military weapons for the UK’s defence supply chain, seeking to crack down on the possibility of “interference from adversaries”.
A UK Royal Navy diving contract with a Chinese-linked firm has triggered security concerns and been labeled as a “maritime version of our 5G” by the Chairman of the Defence Select Committee, reported The Telegraph.
Tobias Ellwood issued a warning after JFD, a world leading underwater capability provider supplying the commercial and defence markets with diving, submarine and hyperbaric rescue equipment, had won a contract for the management and availability of the Royal Navy’s in-service life-support diving equipment.
The apprehensions are rooted in the fact that JFD is also a client of Chinese-owned SMD, a supplier of subsea equipment.
The SMD website says JFD is a customer for its remotely operated vehicles (ROV) systems. The ROVs are employed to carry out submarine rescue, torpedo recovery and range maintenance, as well as distressed aircraft and vessel recovery.
Dr Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, cited the chorus of voices, led by Washington, that allege Chinese tech companies pose a security threat, and was quoted as saying:
JFD, which has a 20-year history of doing business with the UK Royal Navy, said in a statement that among the equipment…
