An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles 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 MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader defence situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, from vehicle use to communication habits.
