An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, 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 concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader defence situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
