An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
