A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing 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 safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official activities, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
