An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
