An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent 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 every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
