A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all areas of government activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.
