A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government operations, from transport usage to communication practices.
