A defense official has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
