A defense official has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
