An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government activities, including transport use to communication habits.
