An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, from transport use to communication habits.
