A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, from transport use to communication practices.
