A defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if 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 secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all areas of government activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
