An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However 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 MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government activities, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
