An defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, including transport use to communication habits.
