An defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader security situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of official operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
