An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent 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.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government activities, from transport use to communication practices.
