A defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official activities, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
