Minister Confirms MoD Examining Potential Threat from Chinese Cars, as Personnel Instructed to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Cars.
A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid discussing classified information in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.
