An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.
