An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government operations, from transport usage to communication habits.
