A defence official has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
