An defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
