An defence official has stated that the MoD is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars 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, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
