A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official activities, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
