A defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to communication habits.
