An defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is 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 cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including transport usage to discussions habits.
