Government Official States MoD Looking at Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, with Staff Told to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Vehicles.
A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
