An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including transport use to communication practices.
