An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
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 technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of government activities, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
