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An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been told to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.

Safety Advice for Defence Personnel

In a recent interview on LBC, a defence minister addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.

The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary cars.

Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.

However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.

When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”

Wider Defence Context

The revelation comes as reports 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 has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.

This wider security environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.