An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
