An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.
