A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to communication habits.
