A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This broader security environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
