An defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, including transport use to communication habits.
