A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.
