A defence official has stated that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
