A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing 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 concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of government activities, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
