An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
