An defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
