A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security 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 buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, from transport use to communication practices.
