A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including transport use to communication habits.