An defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
