A defence official has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
