An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader defence environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, from transport use to communication habits.
