A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of official operations, from transport use to communication habits.
