A defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
