A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official operations, including transport use to communication habits.
