A defense official has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
