Minister States MoD Looking at Security Risk from Vehicles from China, with Staff Advised to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Cars.
An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
