A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of government operations, from transport usage to communication habits.
