An defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of government activities, from transport use to discussions practices.
