A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether 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 discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader defence environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.
