Government Official Says Ministry of Defence Investigating Security Risk from Chinese Cars, as Staff Advised to Refrain from Secret Talk in Vehicles.
An defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet 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 vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
