A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in 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 discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
