A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations 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 all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader defence environment underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official operations, including transport use to discussions practices.
