A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of official activities, from transport use to communication practices.
