An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider security environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of official operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
