A defense official has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
