A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
