Minister Confirms Ministry of Defence Looking at Security Risk from Chinese Cars, with Personnel Told to Refrain from Secret Talk in Vehicles.
An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
