An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader security environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of official operations, including transport use to communication practices.
