A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
