Government Official Confirms Ministry of Defence Investigating Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, with Staff Told to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of official operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
