A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government operations, from vehicle use to communication practices.
