An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
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 vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
