Minister Confirms MoD Looking at Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, with Personnel Instructed to Refrain from Secret Talk in Cars.
A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, from transport use to communication habits.
