A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of official activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.
