An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars 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 non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
