A defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official activities, from transport use to discussions habits.
