A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD 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 staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government activities, including transport use to discussions practices.
