A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of official activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
