A defense official has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
