A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
