An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
