A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in every aspects of official operations, including transport use to communication practices.
