A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
