An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles 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 increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, from transport use to discussions practices.
