A defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official operations, including vehicle use to communication practices.
