A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of official activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.
