An defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has 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 driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government activities, including transport use to communication habits.
