An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have 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 vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including transport use to communication practices.
