An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, including vehicle use to communication practices.
