A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader security environment highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including transport use to communication habits.
