A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But 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 conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
