A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried 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 exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official operations, including transport usage to discussions habits.
