A defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
