An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
