An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
