A defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, from transport usage to discussions practices.
