An defence official has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing classified matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official operations, including transport use to discussions habits.