An defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
