An defense official has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all areas of official operations, including transport usage to discussions habits.
