A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, from transport usage to discussions practices.
