A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
