A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing classified information in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
