A defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, from transport usage to discussions practices.
