An defense official has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, including transport use to discussions practices.
