An defence official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
