An defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
