A defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
