A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have 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 wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows reports 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 disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, from vehicle usage to communication practices.