An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including transport usage to communication habits.
