An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified 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 secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
