An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including transport use to communication habits.
