An defense official has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader security environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
