A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, from transport usage to communication habits.
