A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, from transport use to discussions practices.
