An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens 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 non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of official activities, from transport usage to discussions practices.
