A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government activities, from transport usage to communication practices.
