A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including transport usage to discussions habits.
