A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But 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, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
