A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
