A defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, due to 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 reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
