An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been told to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained 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 tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
