An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
