A defense official has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including transport use to communication habits.
