A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
