An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
