A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
