A defence official has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified matters in all cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, from transport usage to communication habits.
