A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to communication habits.
