A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
