A defense official has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
