Minister Confirms Ministry of Defence Looking at Security Risk from Vehicles from China, with Staff Advised to Refrain from Confidential Discussions in Cars.

An defence official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.

Security Guidance for MoD Personnel

In a recently aired appearance on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.

The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however noted that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.

We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.

But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.

When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”

Broader Security Context

The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.

Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.

The wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.