An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to communication habits.
