A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including transport use to communication practices.
