A defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for 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 vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, from transport usage to communication habits.
