A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of official activities, from transport usage to discussions habits.
