A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
