A defence official has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.
