A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
