An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.
