A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to communication practices.
