An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
