An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to communication habits.
