A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection 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 non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of official activities, including transport usage to communication habits.
