A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance 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 talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
