An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government activities, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
