An defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
