A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from transport use to communication practices.
