An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including vehicle use to communication practices.
