A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government operations, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
