A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, including vehicle use to discussions habits.
