An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to communication practices.
