A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
