An defence official has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
