A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, from transport usage to communication practices.
