A defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
