An defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader security situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of official operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
