A defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
