A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including transport use to communication habits.
