A defence minister 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 secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, from transport usage to communication practices.
