An defence official has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
