An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in all 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 non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, from transport usage to communication habits.
