A defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, from transport usage to discussions habits.
