An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
