An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing classified information in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
