An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence 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 to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government activities, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
