A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
