A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of official operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
