A defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a collection 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 not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
