An defense official has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However 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 MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
