A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
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.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including transport use to communication habits.
