A defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
