A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including transport use to discussions practices.
