A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, from transport use to communication practices.
