A defence official has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, including transport use to communication habits.
