A defence official has stated that the MoD is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
