A defence official has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
