A defence official has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
