An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
