A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of official activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
