A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from transport usage to communication practices.
