An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
