An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car 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 classified level in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
