A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, from transport use to discussions habits.
