A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
