A defense minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
