An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government activities, from transport use to discussions habits.
