A defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to communication practices.
