A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
