An defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, from transport use to communication habits.
