An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if 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 technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
