A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from transport usage to communication habits.
