A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government activities, including transport usage to communication practices.
