An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
