A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
