An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.