A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars 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 car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader security situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
