An defense official has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
