A defense official has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, from vehicle use to communication habits.
