An defense official has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
