An defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
