A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
