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An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.

Security Advice for Defence Personnel

During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese cars.

He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.

Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.

But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.

After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”

Wider Defence Background

This revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.

Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.

This wider defence environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government operations, including transport use to communication habits.