A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of official operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
