An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
