An defense official has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any car, due to 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 sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of official activities, from transport use to communication habits.
