An defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including transport use to communication habits.
