An defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
