An defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations 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 all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, from transport use to discussions habits.
