An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to communication practices.
