A defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
