A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
