An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including transport use to discussions practices.
