An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
