A defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader security environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
