An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
