An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
