A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
