A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing classified matters in all cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This broader defence environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and caution in all areas of government activities, including transport use to communication habits.
