A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
