An defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified information in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
