A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
