A defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens 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, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
