A defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
