An defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government activities, from vehicle use to communication habits.
