An defense official has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, a defence minister commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However 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 devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of official activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
