An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of official operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
