A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of official activities, from transport usage to communication practices.
