An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing classified information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including transport use to communication habits.
