A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if 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, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, from transport usage to discussions habits.
