An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China 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 secret classification in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
