A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, from transport use to communication practices.
