An defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles 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 non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people 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 risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, including transport usage to communication practices.
Maya Chen is a seasoned tech journalist and software developer with over a decade of experience in digital innovation and cybersecurity.
