Minister Confirms Ministry of Defence Looking at Security Risk from Chinese Cars, with Staff Told to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Cars.
A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, from transport use to communication habits.