A defense official has stated that the MoD is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
