A defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, from transport use to discussions practices.
