An defence official has stated that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
