An defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
