An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car 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 conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government activities, from transport use to communication practices.
