An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
