A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader defence situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including transport use to communication practices.
