Minister Says MoD Looking at Security Risk from Vehicles from China, as Staff Told to Avoid Confidential Discussions in Cars.
An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, including transport use to communication habits.
