An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including transport usage to communication practices.
