An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been told to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of official activities, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
