A defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader defence situation underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including transport use to discussions habits.
