A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
