An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
