An defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
