A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to communication habits.
