An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving 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 discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
