An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of official activities, from transport use to discussions habits.
