An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of official operations, including transport usage to discussions habits.
