A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official activities, from transport usage to communication practices.
