An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned 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 is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
