A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry 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 revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
