A defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of official operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
