A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in every modern cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader security situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to communication practices.
