A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider security situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
