A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader security environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official activities, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
