A defense official has revealed that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
