An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, including transport usage to communication habits.