An defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles 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 Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
