A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from transport use to communication habits.
