A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This broader defence environment highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, from transport use to discussions habits.
