An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence environment highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including transport use to discussions habits.
