An defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader defence situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
