An defense official has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to communication practices.