A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.