A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, from transport use to communication habits.
