A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, from transport use to discussions practices.
