A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But 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 MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.
