An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been told to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including transport use to communication practices.
