An defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including transport usage to communication habits.
