An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
