A defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The broader defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, from transport use to discussions practices.
