An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
