An defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
