Minister States Ministry of Defence Looking at Potential Threat from Vehicles from China, as Personnel Told to Refrain from Secret Talk in Cars.
A defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all areas of government operations, including transport use to communication habits.
