An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including transport use to communication practices.
