Camilla Jessen
MoD warns soldiers about ‘listening risks’ in military vehicles.
An unusual warning has been issued to British soldiers after security officials raised concerns that military vehicles could be vulnerable to foreign surveillance.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has instructed personnel not to discuss sensitive information inside its fleet of official cars, following growing fears that Chinese-made technology embedded in global vehicle supply chains could be used for espionage.
The alert follows the discovery of a concealed Chinese tracking device in a UK government vehicle last year, a car reportedly used by then-prime minister Rishi Sunak.
Rising security fears
According to reporting in the Daily Mail, security chiefs believe Beijing has launched a worldwide effort to exploit vehicles fitted with Chinese-produced components, including GPS systems, electric engines and onboard software.
The concern is that such technology could provide covert access to conversations, locations and movement patterns of Western officials.
Warnings have now been placed on the dashboards of hundreds of MoD “white fleet” vehicles, which are used to transport troops, equipment and staff across operational sites.
The notices read: “MOD devices are NOT to be connected to vehicle” and “Avoid conversations above OFFICIAL within the vehicle,” referencing the classification level of permissible discussion.
Officials say the policy applies to all civilian-hire vehicles, not only electric ones.
Fallout from tracking-device discovery
After the 2023 discovery of a Chinese tracking module sealed inside a government car, Whitehall tightened internal security protocols.
Staff were vetted for potential links to Russian or Chinese intelligence networks, and ministers were urged to disconnect China-manufactured electronics from internal computer systems.
The MoD has already banned Chinese-made electric vehicles from some bases.
Recent figures show the department operates 745 electric and more than 1,400 hybrid cars in its white fleet.
Conservative defence spokesman Mark Francois welcomed the tougher stance.
“At last some parts of our Government are taking the threat of Chinese espionage seriously,” he said. “In this day and age, careless talk definitely costs lives.”
Sources: Daily Mail; UK Ministry of Defence statements
This article is made and published by Camilla Jessen, who may have used AI in the preparation
